Dreamscape
by Ec1aire
Summary: This is my sequel to Clove. Clove and Shadow are now very involved with one another, but everything changes when they go on a mission to save Rouge. Clove starts having nightmares, and Mephiles makes a reappearance. Can they finally lock him away, or will he forever be wreaking havoc in the world? As before, the name in the title of every chapter is from who's POV it's written.
1. Shadow - Visions

My quills rustle in the wind as I look towards the sea. With both Dr Eggman and Clove's sister, Daisy, out of action, not a single interesting thing has happened. Well, unless you count the two ongoing relationships within our group. I often find myself at a loss of what to do, and right now it's the same. I haven't called in for any missions with GUN for a while, but I don't plan to either.

A warm hand slides into mine, and I turn to see Clove standing beside me. 'Still moping, I see,' she comments lightly.

I shake my head, denying what's actually true. 'Don't worry, Shadow. I'm bored too.'

I smirk. 'What happened to this sort of life driving you mad?'

Clove laughs, leaning her head on my shoulder. 'Technically it is, although not in the way I was expecting. It's just been too quiet lately. I guess finally beating Eggman took the fun out of things.'

I agree. 'He certainly did make things more interesting, even if he did try to take over the world more times than I can count.'

Clove, suddenly distracted, pulls out a glittering pink jewel. 'If you want something to do, I'd like to take this to a friend of mine. She has a soft spot for pretty gems and stones.'

I chuckle. 'That sounds like Rouge.' Clove blinks and meets my eye. 'That is Rouge,' she says. 'Rouge the Bat.'

I sigh and nod. 'Yeah, I know her. We used to work alongside one another at GUN.'

Understanding suddenly crosses Clove's eyes. 'Oh, so you're the one she was talking about! Okay, that makes a lot more sense now.' She smiles up at me. 'So, you up for it?'

I think about it for a while, before nodding again. 'Sure, why not? At least we'll be doing something.'

Clove smiles and quickly kisses me, before disappearing inside the base, leaving a trail of purple behind her. I shake my head and follow her inside, at a much more leisurely pace. I lean against the door and watch Clove do whatever it is she's doing. Gathering essentials probably.

It's for this reason I realise straight away when something's not right. I walk forward and grab Clove, trying to shake her out of the trance she's in. Her eyes have glazed over, and she doesn't blink. I pick her up and carry her over to the sofa, before dropping her gently onto it. I hold her hand and give it a squeeze, but there's no response. I want to continue trying, but a suffocating exhaustion hits me, and I fall asleep on the spot.

…

When I wake, there is a gathering of hedgehogs around me, including Clove, who looks worried and scared. When I look her in the eyes, she breathes a sigh of relief. 'You gave us a good scare there, Shadow.' She says.

'What about you?' I ask, pushing myself into a sitting position. 'What happened to you?'

Clove sends me a questioning look that doesn't quite seem genuine. 'I'm not sure I understand.' She says quietly. 'What do you mean?'

I decide not to push it because, for one reason or another, Clove doesn't want to discuss this. At least not here, with everyone else present. 'No, sorry, I think I must have been dreaming or something. Never mind.' I murmur, standing up. I turn to face Clove. 'I thought we were leaving?' I raise an eyebrow.

Clove only just seems to remember our plans. 'Oh, yeah! I completely forgot.' She pokes me playfully on the shoulder. 'You can blame yourself for that.'

I laugh and shake my head. 'It's not my fault that happened. I don't even know why it did. I wasn't even that tired.'

Clove frowns. 'I really don't get that. It can't be an illness or anything like that, because you're immune to those things. Tails did a check of everything, but his results stated that nothing was wrong with you. No mater how hard we tried, we couldn't get you to wake up. Did you have any weird dreams or something?'

I shake my head. 'Actually, I don't remember anything. No dreams. Just, one minute I was awake then the next I was waking up.' For some reason, my eyes shift to the computer screens, and that's when I see it. The burning city, people running around trying to avoid the flames, and a single dark figure traipsing through the streets.


	2. Clove - GUN

I follow Shadow's distracted gaze to the computer screen, but I don't anything of interest there. Shadow pulls his eyes away from the computer and looks questioningly at Tails. 'Where is that?' He asks.

'Where is what?' Tails replies, clearly just as confused as me.

Shadow frowns at turns back to face the computer, before frowning even deeper. He gives his head a frustrated shake. 'Never mind.' He says.

I narrow my eyes a fraction. There's something really bothering him right now. I think, if he wants answers from me, I'll need to get some from him too. I plaster a grin on my face. 'Come on, let's go!' I grab his hand and start dragging him outside.

'Where are you going?' Sonic calls after us.

'We're visiting Rouge,' Shadow replies. He starts walking willingly beside me, and then our walk turns into a run, both of us racing across the grass.

After about an hour, with Soleanna a long way behind us, I stop and turn to face Shadow with my arms crossed over my chest. Shadow halts with me, and mirrors my action. 'Explain,' we say in unison.

Despite everything, we both laugh. 'I guess we'll have to explain one after the other,' I say, smiling and shaking my head. 'You first. What was that whole thing with the computer about?'

Shadow hesitates, before answering. 'I saw something on the screen. It was a city, burning down. The people were in a serious state of panic and there was a black figure walking almost moodily among them. I honestly thought it was a live image from somewhere.'

I let that sink in. 'Do you think it could be like my dream? Some sort of vision of the future?'

Shadow shrugs. 'I really don't know. I've never experienced anything like that before.' He faces me directly. 'Okay, shoot.'

I take a deep breath. 'To be honest, I don't know what happened, but while I was gathering things, I started seeing distorted images. Images of people I didn't recognise. There were two of them. One of them looked very much like you, the other was a pale purple cat.'

Shadow looks surprised. 'You saw images of Mephiles and Blaze?'

I shrug. 'I don't know who they are.' I remind him.

'Well, from what you just described, I think that's the only drawable conclusion.' Shadow sighs and a deep crease appears on his forehead. 'What can all of this mean?' He mutters under his breath.

I step forward and gently lift his head to face me. 'It doesn't have to mean anything,' I say. 'Come on, let's just get going and put this all behind us.'

Shadow nods, pauses, then crushes his lips against mine, tugging me against him. I struggle to breathe against the force of this kiss, but it's too sweet for me to care. I wrap my arms around the back of Shadow's neck and lose myself in the warming sensation of being held by him. My heart races in my chest, Shadow's in his. When we finally pull apart, Shadow has a slightly flushed face. I grin up at him, nip his chin, and then look around. 'So where exactly are you leading me?' I ask.

'I have a house in a village not too far from here. I have my GUN communicator in there, which should allow me to find out where Rouge is right now.' He replies, taking my hand and pulling me into another sprint.

'Do you not think GUN are going to try to worm you into another mission?' I ask, letting go and pushing myself even faster, cruising past Shadow in the process. Shadow pushes himself faster too, and we're running alongside one another again.

'Probably. But I also probably won't do it.' He shrugs as we jump over the edge of a cliff onto the sea.

'I think you should.' I have to shout over the loud sound of the water beneath our feet. 'I could join you too. It'd be interesting to find out what you used to do.'

Shadow shrugs. 'I don't mind. It's up to you.'

'Then we will, but only if they force it on you.' A small beachside village appears in the distance. 'Is that where you live?' I ask, failing to imagine Shadow in the place.

Still, Shadow nods and, once we slow to a leisurely walk, takes my hand. We enter the village together and the few other hedgehogs milling around stare at Shadow is mild surprise. 'I probably shouldn't even ask why they're doing that.' Shadow murmurs to himself.

I snort. 'You can't work it out?' He looks weirdly at me, his eyes questioning. Sighing, I explain. 'I expect that to them you seem like the most emotionless hedgehog alive. Seeing you walk into the village hand-in-hand with a girl probably isn't something they expected.'

Shadow narrows his eyes at me. 'Who said anything about me being emotionless?' He demands. I have to stop due the laughter bubbling up inside me. Shadow laughs with me and pulls me in close. 'Maybe I was like that once, but you taught me how to feel love this strongly. I'm different now.' He murmurs in my ear.

'I know you are,' I reply, snuggling up to him. For a few moments we just stand their in each other's arms, but eventually I pull away. 'We have a job to do, right?'

'Right,' Shadow nods.

We continue further into the village and I am struck by how beautiful everything is in this place. 'It's so quiet and peaceful,' I breathe. 'And I still cannot picture you living here.' I shake my head. Even with him walking through the streets right now, the idea of him actually taking residency in a place like this seems almost mad.

Shadow shrugs. 'It's quiet here, and a decent distance from other places. It provides a good way to be alone.'

I nod. 'Okay, I can see it now.'

Shadow chuckles and wraps an arm around my waist, pressing his lips to my temple. 'See?' Shadow then leads me up to a large beach hut and unlocks the door. He lets me enter first, and I find myself in a large open plan living room/dining room/kitchen.

I smile at the place. 'You have good taste,' I comment, letting my eyes wander.

Shadow smiles. 'Not everything I own has to be black and red, you know.' He says.

'Just most things,' I point out.

Shrugging, Shadow moves towards one of the rooms to my right and comes back, buckling a black communicator to his wrist. 'Ready for an onslaught of questions?' He asks. When I nod, he presses a button and speaks into the device. 'Shadow here, come in.'

As expected, there is a beat of silence before a man asks a question in a loud, demanding voice. 'Shadow, where the hell have you been?!'

Shadow shrugs automatically, then, remembering they can't see him, speaks. 'Nowhere specific. I tend to keep moving.'

The man on the other end sighs. 'What made you call then?'

Shadow smirks. 'Straight to business, I see. I'm looking for the whereabouts of Rouge.'

'Rouge?' The man sounds confused. 'Rouge has been missing for almost three weeks. We sent you a message at the time but presumably you didn't receive it.'

Shadow and I share a worried glance. 'Where was she when you last had contact with her?' I ask before thinking.

Silence.

'Who is that? Shadow?'

Shadow rolls his eyes. 'It's not important. Answer her question.'

A heavy sigh on the other end. 'She was near Westopolis. About four miles west of the place. Since you're looking for her already, could we send you on a rescue mission?'

Shadow smirks knowingly at me. 'Told ya,' he mutters. 'Fine. Shadow out.' He presses the button and the communicator goes to standby. Our eyes meet.

'How could she get lost, or captured? For as long as I've known her she's always been the most able woman I've ever met.'

Shadow shakes his head. 'I don't know,' he admits. 'Although I did have to rescue her once or twice before. Still, it's a rare thing to happen.'

I sigh and sit on the chair in the living room, holding my head in my hands. 'At least we can save her,' I mumble.


	3. Rouge - Imprisonment

I sit in a dank, tiny cell with no windows, just the heavy iron door that is keeping me in. I tried blowing it up with one of my bombs, but succeeded in nothing but dazing myself. The thing doesn't even have a scratch! As for my communicator, there must be some kind of interference coming from somewhere, because I can get it to work. I've no idea how long I've been here, because I can't tell what time of day it is. It feels like weeks though. Months maybe. I get a small meal every now and then, but since I don't know who's detained me, I don't know who it is that is keeping me alive - albeit barely.

As I usually do to keep myself entertained, I pull out a gorgeous magenta gem. Even in this place, where light is so scarce I can barely see my own hand, it seems to glow. I can tell just by looking at it that this is no ordinary jewel, and I would research it if I could. Unfortunately, while I'm stuck in here, I can't.

My communicator starts to crackle, and Shadow's voice comes through, his words barely understandable. 'Rouge, can you hear me?'

I press the button and reply with an urgent voice. 'Shadow? I can hear you.'

'Good. I was told that GUN have been unable to contact you for some reason. Where are you?' Shadow sounds mildly distracted.

I sigh. 'I don't know exactly. I can't see much from here. Last place with civilisation was Westopolis, but I moved about fifteen miles west of that before being knocked out.'

A faint voice on the other end. 'She was knocked out? Fantastic.'

I start, recognising the voice but being unable to place it. 'Shadow, who is that? She sounds really familiar.'

A brief scuffle, then the voice comes again, louder this time. 'Rouge, it's me, Clove.'

'Clove?!' I cry without meaning to, but it's too late to change that now. 'What are you doing with Shadow? Where are you?'

A brief pause. 'That's a story for another time,' she replies firmly. 'As for where we are, we're about half a mile from Westopolis. We've been trying to contact you for some time now.'

'Okay. I'll make sure to remember that. Be careful, alright? And Shadow, if she gets hurt, you're mince meat.' I threaten.

I hear a huff on the other side. 'Clove can take care of herself just as well as I can. It's a long story and you'll have to wait for it, but for now it's not important. However I get your message, and I wouldn't allow anything to hurt her anyway. See you later.'

'Wait, Shadow!' I call to him, hoping he hasn't already switched off his com device.

'What?' 'If you get to where I am, look for cell 219. That's where I am.' I recite the number printed on my wall. It's a number I don't think I'll ever forget after this is all over.

'Got it.' A brief moment of static, then the eery silence I'm used to.

I take to throwing my gem up and down in the air while I wait for Shadow and Clove, thinking about possible scenarios that would allow Clove to travel with Shadow. One that comes to mind is that they're now an item, although that's very unlikely. Another idea is that Clove could have simply persuaded Shadow to take her with him. Beyond that, I have no ideas. Still, it's a fun way to test my imagination.


	4. Clove - Mephiles

A/N: Werewolf lover99, thanks for all the reviews :). I'm female, by the way.

As we Chaos Control out of Westopolis to the top of a hill about two miles west of the place, my head suddenly pangs with pain. I groan and hold my head in my hands, waiting for the ache to pass.

Shadow looks at me worriedly. 'What's wrong?' He asks, gently prying my hands away from my head and holding my face so I look him directly in the eyes.

I'm about to reply when they appear again, walking through the streets of Westopolis. 'Shadow,' I whisper, staring hard at the two forms. 'They're here. I don't know if you can see them too but it's them again. Mephiles and Blaze.'

Shadow follows my gaze and growls. 'No,' he says, 'they're here. I don't know about Blaze, but Mephiles cannot be trusted. Remember that, Clove.' He embraces me in his arms and suddenly the pain in my head considerably worsens.

'Argh!' I cry, clutching my skull and sinking to my knees. My head starts to throb, each time a jab of hurt coursing through me. Shadow crouches below me and uses the energy from his Chaos Emerald to heal me. Or at least, attempts to. Though the pain does lessen, it is far from gone. 'Thanks,' I breathe. This sort of dull ache I can deal with.

'Is it gone?' Shadow asks, his hands on my shoulders.

I shrug. 'Mostly,' I admit. Shadow sighs and kisses my forehead, before taking my hand.

We continue walking west, and for a while we don't say a word. By chance I look out to sea and see a large stone castle on a small island. It has that creepy, dark feel that is associated with a prison. I pull Shadow to stop and point at the place. 'What do you reckon? A prison?' I ask, tilting my head to the side.

Shadow looks the place carefully over, before nodding. 'It's the best lead we've got.' Shadow grabs his Chaos Emerald again and, after tightly gripping my hand, shouts 'Chaos Control!' to the air.

We appear in the middle of the prison courtyard, and find ourselves surrounded by half a dozen foxes. They freeze in shock for a moment, before advancing on us. Shadow and I prepare to defend ourselves, but again the pain in my head comes attacking with a vengeance. I cry out and, despite my internal protests, find myself unable to move. Shadow casts me a worried look, before jumping up and defending us both. Before even a minute is over, six foxes lie unconscious on the stone floor. Shadow runs back to me and looks closely at me. His red eyes cause something in me to relax, and I find a part of my mind being pushed aside and replaced by someone else.

'Greetings again, Shadow the Hedgehog,' I say. Except it's not actually me. Shadow blinks. 'Clove?'

I find myself laughing. 'Oh, no. Your little Clove isn't in here right now. I've taken her over. Temporarily at least. No, it is your old friend, Mephiles. I saw you and your plaything on the hill a few minutes ago. I watched you appear. Since then I've been forcing Clove out of her own mind. Pushed to the side to allow me in. And I must say, it's worked well.'

Shadow growls. 'What do you want, Mephiles?' He spits.

Another laugh. 'I just wish to warn you about the dreams. A spirit can be easily lost in the Dreamscape. Goodbye.' I gasp as my mind recoils, and I'm back in my own head again. The pain has completely vanished, but I feel exhausted from... whatever just happened.

'Clove...?' Shadow asks, more slowly this time.

I nod. 'It's me.' I gasp. 'I'm back. And boy am I tired.' My eyes start to droop, but suddenly Shadow is there, using his fingers to keep them open.

'Don't you dare fall asleep,' he orders. 'I don't know what's going on, but if Mephiles is involved it won't be good. Fight it, Clove. Don't fall asleep.'

My eyes continue to grow ever heavier, and I find it almost impossible to keep them from closing completely. 'Can't...' I say groggily. 'Too... tired.' Shadow's mouth suddenly crushes down against mine, and the shock of the action makes my eyes shoot wide. And just like that, the feeling is gone. I no longer feel the need to stop here and sleep. Instead, I press my lips against Shadow's, forcing the kiss to continue. And continue it does. Shadow's arms wrap around my shoulders, pulling my chest against his. My legs shuffle me towards him, and we press against each other, kneeling on our knees. The feel of Shadow's warm lips against my own awakes something slightly wild inside me, making my body buzz. Shadow pushes me away, and I give a grunt of complaint. He chuckles and shakes his head.

Pulling me to my feet, he leads me inside the castle, down four flights of stairs and into a huge prison. Row upon row upon row of heavy iron doors line the wall, each with a large number printed in black. We follow the doors until we reach the door in question: number 219. The door is of course locked, but I merely kneel down and stick my finger inside, burning it from inside out. With a soft click, the door swings open and there sits Rouge, her black wings crumpled, her body thin and bony. As soon as she sees Shadow, she jumps to her feet, but then her eyes shift to me, and she seems to freeze in place, her sparking eyes watching me warily.


	5. Shadow - Fire

I watch with a vaguely amused smile as Rouge stares at Clove. Her pale blue eyes travel up and down the length of Clove's body, making her shift uncomfortably. Finally, Rouge smiles and faces me 'I went through so many scenarios that would explain why Clove was with you. This never came across my mind.'

I smirk. 'Somehow I doubt most people would figure this one out.'

Rouge laughs. 'That's probably true. Come on, let's get out of here before the guards come back. You're lucky you came in at this time - they're on their coffee break.'

Clove smiles. 'Well, let's not interrupt it then.'

I grin at her. 'I dunno... I kind of want to now you mention it.'

Clove rolls her eyes and leads the way back up the stairs. She suddenly ducks against a wall, shrinking into the shadows. Rouge and I mirror her actions, and don't see why she did it until a barrage of guards come strolling past us. Ten, twenty, thirty... Sixty guards at least. All of them foxes. When the last one passes, Clove gives us a quick nod and continues up the stairs, a little quicker this time. We make it out into the courtyard, where the foxes are still where we left them.

'Traditional Shadow style,' Rouge says, turning on her flirtatious side that she knows has never really worked on me.

Over Rouge's shoulder, I see Clove frown a little, and after a pointed look, she nods and smiles weakly. 'Let's just get out of here,' Clove says. 'It would be a pain if any other guards were to show up.' I nod my agreement, and so does Rouge. Clove gets her white Chaos Emerald out from her quills and, after grasping my hand and me grabbing Rouge's shoulder, shouts 'Chaos Control!' and we end up outside my beach hut. Rouge shakes her head.

'Ugh. I have no idea how you guys can stand doing that all the time.'

'Chaos Energy,' we say together.

After sharing an amused glance, I continue. 'The Chaos Energy in our bodies is tuned to the Chaos Emeralds, so we don't get that feeling when we use them.'

Rouge looks between us, moving her eyes from me to Clove over and over again. 'Are you guys dating, or something? Shadow really isn't the same right now.'

Clove chuckles. 'Are you talking about his attempt at humour earlier?'

'Among other things,' Rouge smiles. 'I also saw him take your hand, yet he held my shoulder.'

I nod, trying to end their conversation. 'Yes, we are.'

Before Rouge can reply, I unlock the door and push my way inside. Clove and Rouge follow behind me, and Rouge takes a long look around, much like Clove did when she first laid eyes on the place. 'I like it here. Has a mellow sort of feel to it. Not really sure it's you, though, Shadow.'

Clove snorts. 'I seem to remember saying a similar thing when I first saw it here.'

Rouge looks distractedly down at her communicator and presses the button. 'GUN this is Rouge, can you hear me?'

A sharp burst of static before a reply comes in. 'Yeah, we can hear you. Shadow find you then?'

'Affirmative,' Rouge says. 'I'd like to go back there for a few days, there's a jewel I picked up that isn't quite normal.'

'Roger that.' More static, then silence.

'Oh, that reminds me,' Clove reaches into her quills again and pulls out the stone she spoke about earlier. 'Here, I thought you'd like it.'

Rouge stares at the pale pink gem with avid interest, before taking it carefully. 'Oh, this looks familiar.' She pulls out her own jewel and holds them together.

I step forward, suddenly wary. 'They seem to be reacting to each other.' I comment, pointing it out.

Rouge nods. 'Even in the dark, my jewel was glowing. And now they seem to be even brighter than before. Thanks, Clove, this'll be hopefully more... conclusive.'

Clove smiles. 'It was why I gave it to you. I could tell there was something special about it.'

Rouge nods solemnly. 'I should be leaving.' The two girls share a quick hug before Rouge turns to me. She slaps my shoulder in a friendly manner and whispers 'go get some,' in my ear, earning a rare blush from me. Rouge chuckles and leaves, waving lazily behind her as she goes.

Once she's out the door, Clove turns to me, raising an eyebrow, as if expecting me to tell her what Rouge said. When I shake my head, she laughs. 'Did you forget I have your hearing, and that I can hear even really quiet things?'

I wince. 'Uh... Yeah.'

Clove laughs and walks over to me, resting her hands on my chest. Her silver eyes blaze like fire as they look into mine, and I feel the desire in my body make me grow warm. 'Well, next time,' Clove whispers, kissing my chin, 'I suggest you remember.' I grunt and force my lips against hers, tugging her against me. Clove smiles against my lips and whispers, 'I guess you're taking her advice.'

I chuckle, my fingers combing through her quills. Clove closes her eyes and starts to purr quietly, while her own hands wrap around my neck. Eyes snapping open, Clove pushes strongly against me, causing me to topple onto the soft floor rug, and suddenly she's above me, gazing at me through long lashes. 'Oh, yes,' I murmur, with a foreign huskiness to my voice, 'I definitely am.'


	6. Clove - Nightmare

As I lie in Shadow's arms, my thoughts drift to the warning Mephiles gave him. Beware of the dreams, I think he said. What dreams? And what the hell is the Dreamscape? I lift my head and find Shadow dozing softly, but judging by the rate of his heart, he isn't actually sleeping. I nudge him gently and his red eyes open, finding me and staring.

'You alright?' He asks in an oddly dissonant voice.

'What's the Dreamscape?' I ask, subconsciously nuzzling my face against the soft white fur on his chest.

Shadow shivers, his heart beat fluttering, before answering. 'It's the place that someone's soul can sometimes go while they are sleeping. Why?'

I shrug. 'I'm just thinking about what Mephiles said to you earlier, and I didn't know. Can it cause any problems, this Dreamscape?'

Shadow considers this for a moment. 'Apparently it's possible for a person's soul to either get lost or stolen by something in the Dreamscape, which means that the soul can't return to its home, but I don't really believe it. I've been to the Dreamscape many times myself and that's never happened.'

'What does the Dreamscape look like?' I ask drowsily.

'Whatever you want it to. It connects with a part of your mind and finds what you desire to see, then becomes that. It can be a great way to calm an angry person, as I've experienced first hand.' Shadow turns me around and tugs me as close to him as I can get, my face buried in his fur. 'Now, we should get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Going back to the base and all.'

I sigh. 'I don't want to go back,' I admit. 'I prefer it here, where it's just us.'

Shadow chuckles. 'So do I. Perhaps we can make an arrangement with Sonic and the gang. Live here permanently.'

I look up at him and smile idly. 'That would be nice,' I whisper, my lips brushing against him as I speak. 'But I agree with the sentiment of sleeping. I'm exhausted.'

Shadow laughs and strokes my arm. 'I guess that's my fault,' he comments. 'Sorry.'

I shake my head. 'Don't be. After all, you can't be much better.' Shadow shakes his head. 'There you go then, we're even.'

A slight rumble in Shadow's chest. 'Goodnight, Clove,' he mutters.

'Mmm,' is all I say in reply.

…

_It surrounds me, the boiling lava. It circles my little platform, slowly eating at the stone, cornering me. And a voice drifts up from within the molten rock, taunting me._

_'No legs have I to dance, no lungs have I to breathe, no life have I to live or die and yet I do all three.' I hold back a sigh; I hate riddles. 'You fear me yet control me, I am at your command, the cruelest men let me go free, and the innocent are harmed.' It says._

_'You're fire,' I say, somehow knowing the answer, yet not remembering when I figured it out._

_A giant serpent-like creature erupts out of the lava, made from burning chunks of rock and stone. 'I am fire!' It hisses. 'I am the destruction of the world, sealed in a life form that is accompanied by my dark brother. And soon I shall be free once more.'_

_I slowly connect the dots. 'Mephiles,' I whisper._

_'Yes, young mortal, Mephiles the Dark. He and I go hand-in-hand. And the destruction of this world will start with the destruction of you.' The thing lunges at me, and a scream escapes my lips._


	7. Shadow - Theory

My peaceful sleep is suddenly ended by the sound of a terrified scream. Beside me, I feel Clove bolt upright, breathing hard and her heart beating very fast. I sit up too, gently rubbing her arm and waiting for her to calm down. Her entire body trembles, and is covered in a sheen of sweat. Her fingers grip at my hand.

'Hey,' I whisper, 'it's alright, it was just a dream. It's all over now.'

Clove shakes her head. 'It wasn't a mere dream,' she squeezes out. 'It was far too real. And it terrified me. Shadow, it scared me to death.'

I kiss her temple for a few seconds, soothing her breathing a little. 'Want to tell me about it?'

Clove takes a shaky breath. 'I think I was in a volcano or something; there was lava everywhere. I was alone, and a voice was mocking me. It gave me a riddle, which I answered, and a giant creature made of melting rocks jumped out at me. It told me that it was fire. It was the destruction of the world and that Mephiles held the secret to releasing him, that they were brothers.' She trembles and hugs me tightly.

I frown. 'Mephiles...?' When she nods, I have to think really hard, and then the whole thing comes crashing down on me. 'Of course, Blaze!' Clove shoots me a questioning look. 'A while ago Sonic, Silver and I fought together to stop the Princess of Soleanna from being killed by Eggman. Silver came here from the future to try to stop the release of the destruction of his home, which was caused by a flaming monster called Iblis. Silver and Blaze went back together to defeat him once and for all, but they couldn't. Not completely. So Blaze took the thing within herself and now the only way to release it is to get to her. I think Mephiles has worked this out and now plans on releasing Iblis.'

Clove takes a moment to digest this. 'So what your saying is that my dream could have told us what Mephiles is up to?' She asks, pushing me back onto the mattress and resting her head on my abdomen.

I shrug. 'Though unlikely, it does make sense. I still want to know how Mephiles managed to convince Blaze to stay with him though.'

Clove shudders. 'Okay, let's just stop talking about this now. It's not helping me calm down.'

I smile. 'Sorry,' I murmur. I turn to look out the window, then remember I'm in the beach hut, not at the base. 'Just a moment,' I say, gently pushing Clove off me. 'I'm just going to see how light it is outside.'

Clove nods and murmurs back, already apparently dozing. 'Okay,' she says. I jump up and head into the living room, before walking to the window and pulling back the curtain. I am greeted by dim light, the sun just peeking over the horizon.

Moving back to the bedroom, I see Clove lying exposed on the bed, sleeping quietly. I smile and lean against the doorframe, watching her placid face. I really am a lucky guy. I crawl back into bed and wrap my arms around her, and she snuggles into my embrace, a happy smile on her lips.

**Sorry loads of these chapters are REALLY short, it's not intentional.**


	8. Rouge - Discovery

The guys at GUN all stare at me as I walk by, but I've learned to ignore them. As I walk along a long corridor, I take out the two stones and examine them again. Shadow was right about them affecting each other, even now I can tell there is something really different about them from earlier, but I can quite put my finger on what that is. I sigh and tuck them away again, before turning left and knocking on the technology lab door.

After a few seconds of waiting, a green hedgehog opens the door. He looks surprised. 'Rouge? I thought you were missing.'

I roll my eyes. 'I was missing, Phyto, but then I was rescued.'

Phyto nods and invites me in. 'So, what can I do for you today?' He asks.

I pull out the gems and show them to him. 'These aren't ordinary, and I was wondering if we could have some tests done on them so we can find out just what they are.'

Phyto nods seriously, before a weird smile stretches across his face. 'I thought you were giving up stealing gems, Rouge.'

I sigh. 'I never said that, and actually, I didn't steal either of these. The dark one I found in a shell on the beach, and the light one was given to me by a friend. Either way, they seem to react when close.'

'Sure, sure.' Phyto takes the gems from me and puts them in a machine. 'This should give us a idea of what they're made of. That should help with answering why they do what they do.'

I nod and sit on the chair by the door, crossing my legs in front of me. 'So what's the word around GUN at the moment?' I ask, trying to keeping a conversation flowing. Chaos only knows how much I hate awkward silences.

'Other than you going missing? I don't really know. There are a few theories flying around as to why Shadow isn't taking missions anymore, but no one really knows.' Phyto scratches the back of his neck.

'Oh, I think that's because of Clove,' I say smugly.

'Clove?'

'His girlfriend.'

That rewards me with a surprised splutter from Phyto. 'Shadow has a girlfriend?!' When I nod, he shakes his well. 'Well, I'll be damned. I never thought I'd live to see the day. How did it happen?'

I'm about to reply when I remember I didn't ask for the "long story", so I just shrug. 'They didn't tell me.'

Phyto glances at his machine, before turning back to me again. 'Did you even ask?'

'No, I was preoccupied.' I hear a heavy thunk come from the machine and Phyto turns back to the stones.

He turns the machine off and gets the stones out, passing them back to me. He then gets up the information on his computer screen, impatiently tapping his finger on the desk while they load. 'Ah, this is interesting,' he murmurs to himself. 'It would appear your stones are sister stones, and that's why them react with each other. They are made of something called Dealamite **(dee-a-lim-ite)**, which can sometimes cause terrible nightmares. On the night of the last nightmare, the person will find themselves in the Dreamscape. Only certain people get affected, but hedgehogs are most at risk because they are the ones that carved these jewels in the first place.'

I take a moment to consider this. 'I hope that hasn't affected anyone down at the beach,' I mutter to myself. 'Okay, Phyto, you can keep the stones here. I'm going to make a trip to see Shadow.'

'Okay, Rouge. Nice to see you again.' He takes the stones from me and puts them in separate bags.

'See ya!' I call behind me as I leave the room and head for the front door.


	9. Shadow - Exhaustion

It's been several days since Clove's first nightmare, and they're not getting easier on her. Every night she's been waking up screaming or out of breath, occasionally kicking me awake as her body jerks during the dream. We've both been having sleepless nights as a result of this, and so our moods aren't particularly good.

The weird thing is, Clove has only remembered two of her dreams so far, and the second one was only a little different from the first. I have a theory that the ones she doesn't remember are the more important ones, and the ones she does remember are like... background information. Still, Clove isn't taking this well, and I hate seeing her like this, especially when there's nothing I can do to help her.

Clove sits in the living room with her fingers wrapped around her steaming mug of tea. Her eyes droop even as I watch her, but she doesn't fall asleep. Sighing, I step forward, sit down and then wrap my arms around her. She shifts onto my lap and rests a tired head on my shoulder, closing her eyes. 'When will they stop, Shadow?' She asks weakly.

I close my eyes and hang my head. 'I don't know. There's nothing either of us can do but wait for them to stop, I guess.'

Clove groans, but nods anyway. She leans forward and rests her drink on the table, before snuggling into my arms. Curled up in a foetal position, Clove looks very weak and vulnerable, and perhaps she is. I hold her close and rest my face against her head. 'Something made this happen,' she whispers. 'These dreams couldn't have started on their own.'

I nod. 'You're probably right. Unfortunately we don't know what that reason is.'

There's an urgent knock on the door, and Clove and I exchange a look. 'I'll get it,' Clove says. She jumps up and walks to the door, throwing it open. 'Rouge?'

Rouge stands on the other side of the door, her brow creased. 'Hey, Clove. Can I come in?'

'Yeah, sure.' Clove stands aside and lets Rouge walk inside, snapping the door shut behind her.

'What's up?' I ask, standing up.

'Has anything weird been happening since I left?' Rouge asks, pacing up and down the length of the room.

'Other than Clove's nightmares, no. Why?' I reply, folding my arms over my chest.

Rouge winces. 'That's what I was afraid of.'

'Huh? Rouge, you know what's happening?' Clove asks, stepping around Rouge and grasping my hand in a worried fashion. I give her hand a quick squeeze to reassure her.

Rouge nods solemnly. 'It was those stones. Phyto discovered that they're made of something called Dealamite, and are sister stones. Exposure to either of them can cause a string of nightmares to start. I don't know how long they'll last, but Phyto said the last time you have a nightmare due to these stones will be followed by a trip to the Dreamscape.' Rouge shrugs.

Clove's grip on my hand becomes even tighter. 'Shadow, it's like Mephiles said. Could he foresee this?' She whispers, dropping her voice so Rouge can't here it.

I shake my head. 'I doubt it. It's possible, I suppose, but extremely unlikely.'

'Then how did he know?' Clove hisses.

I turn her body towards mine and brush her cheek with the back of my hand. 'I don't know, but don't worry about that. One thing at a time.'

Clove sighs and nods, hugging me tightly and turning her head to face Rouge. 'I'm glad we understand a bit more now,' she says tiredly. 'I'm not going crazy at least.'

Rouge chuckles and shakes her head. 'No, don't worry, I think you're safe from that for now.'

Clove gives a weak laugh, leaning heavily against me. 'Clove?' I stare down at her and see her eyes slipping closed. Sighing and shaking my head, I scoop her into my arms and take her to the bed, where I carefully cover her body with the duvet.

Rouge joins me and watches me, a tiny frown on her forehead. 'You really love her, don't you?' She says quietly. I turn to face her, giving her a blank look. She rolls her eyes. 'You know what I mean. I've never seen you act like this around anyone before.'

I sigh and nod. 'Yes, I do. She means everything to me.'

Rouge smiles. 'I can see that. I'm happy for you. Maybe now you'll be able to show some emotion.'

I frown. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

Rouge shrugs. 'Before Clove came along, you alway had a deep scowl etched onto your features. I haven't seen it much the last couple of times I've seen you. You're more cheerful and smiley. I just hope it'll last; it makes a nice change.'

I blink. 'If that's a compliment, I'll take it.' Rouge grins and nods, indicating it is. 'Thanks.'

Clove moans gently in her sleep, shifting a little. I glance worriedly at her, but thankfully she doesn't seem to be in any sort of discomfort. In fact, a pleasant smile is beginning to form at the corners of her lips. I breathe a sigh of relief. 'You look like you're really on edge,' Rouge observes. 'And shattered. How about you go to sleep in the living room? I'll keep an eye on Clove.'

I want to object, but then I remember just how exhausted I am, and I find myself nodding. I trudge heavily back into the living room and collapse on the sofa, eagerly welcoming the pull of sleep.


	10. Clove - The Werehog

_The dark blue werehog slowly inches up to me, cornering me against a building. A fierce growl travels up its throat, and a waft of foul breath hits my face. I cringe and sink down._

_As it towers over me, I hear a familiar voice murmuring in my ear. 'Do you really think dying will not affect us?' Shadow... He's right. I summon my sword in my hand and take a swipe at the werehog, causing it to skitter away in fear. I jump to my feet and prepare myself for its attack, but it doesn't come. Instead, it looks at me, as if willing me to help it. To understand it. To recognise it. And while the shape of the beast is vaguely familiar, I have no idea which poor soul has become this thing._

_My sword disintegrates and the werehog relaxes. It still doesn't attack. I sigh. 'I don't suppose you know how much longer these dreams are going to last?' The werehog looks quizzically at me, its head tilting to the side. 'Nah,' I say, 'didn't think so.' I sit myself on the cold cobblestone streets and watch warily as the werehog plods over to me. It stops right in front of my and lies down, nuzzling my hand with its nose in an attempt to get me to pet it. I give his head a quick scratch, before standing and walking away, through the abandoned streets of... wherever I am. The werehog, after a moment of thought, follows me. I turn to face it. 'Can you talk?' A nod, the green eyes of the beast sparking. 'Then why not say anything? Are you afraid I'll recognise you or something?' Another nod. Sighing, I kneel down and draw it over. 'I don't care if I know you,' I whisper. 'This is just a dream. Speak, please.'_

_A wolfy version of a sigh. 'Hey.'_

_I start. 'Sonic?'_

_A quick dip of his head. 'Yeah, it's me.'_

_'What happened to you?!' I demand, holding his face in my hands and getting a good look at him. Now I'm really looking, I can see the obvious resemblance._

_'Long story,' Were-Sonic mutters._

_I sigh and stand up again. 'Well, let's at least do something. I'm bored.' We walk out of the city together, cross a bridge over the river and make it to a large wildflower meadow on the other side. A dark figure is sat in the middle, staring up at the sky. 'Shadow!' I cry, wanting to run up to him, but I'm stopped by Were-Sonic._

_'That's not Shadow,' he hisses._

_I frown at the shape, and find that it is indeed not who I though it was - the red stripes on his quills are actually a dull grey. 'Mephiles,' I growl._

_As soon as the word escapes my lips, he looks round, and our eyes meet. A feeling of dread settles in the pit of my stomach, and I take a cautious step forward. 'I wouldn't do that if I were you.' Mephiles warns._

_I ignore him and walk straight towards his position. When only a few feet away, I catch sight of the mangled bodies of a few recognisable faces, all staring blankly towards the sky, not seeing anything anymore. Silver, Amy, Rouge, Knuckles._

_Shadow._

_My heart clenches in my chest, and my throat constricts. Tears well up in my eyes, and my knees give out. Dead. How can he be dead? An incurable hatred for Mephiles starts boiling inside me, and I lunge for him without thinking. A purple ball hits me square in the quest, knocking me back. I roll over and prepare to attack him again, when Were-Sonic, after a furious growl, tackles him to the ground, his teeth snapping dangerously. Mephiles throws Were-Sonic off of him, and plants a kick on his side. The loud crunch of rib bones reaches my ear, and Were-Sonic starts wailing in agony. I cry out, but my voice doesn't make a sound. The will to live leaves me, and I stubbornly turn towards Mephiles._

_I step forward and stand a foot in front of him. 'Do it, then,' I hiss. 'Kill me.'_

_Mephiles smiles. 'If you wish.' His arms wrap around my throat and my head, and in one jerk of his arm my neck snaps._

…

I jerk upright, breathing heavily, greedily sucking in crisp lungfuls of beach air. Shadow moans beside me, and his hand starts rubbing my shoulder. A single tear escapes my eye as the image of Shadow's dead body hits me hard. That one tear is followed closely by a waterfall of tears, each one racing to escape my eyes. A sob wracks through my body, and I start to tremble.

Shadow sits up and encases me in his arms, allowing me to bawl into his chest and grip him as if my life depends on it. And, I actually think it might. It was just a dream, I remind myself. Shadow is alive. He's here with me now. He is alive. Repeating those three sentences in my head over and over helps me to calm down. 'I really hope that one isn't a vision.' I croak

'What happened?' Shadow asks softly.

'I was in some kind of town, and Sonic was with me. Except he wasn't. He was a werehog. Anyway we walked out of the town together and found Mephiles in the middle of a meadow. And around him were bodies. Knuckles, Silver, Amy, Rouge... You.' My throat tightens again, and another sob escapes my lips.

Shadow tenses beside me. 'That won't come true,' he assures me.

I face him. 'How do you know?'

'Because Mephiles' current plan is to release Iblis. Either he'll succeed and the world will go up in flames, or he'll fail and we'll get rid of him.' Shadow places his lips to me shoulder.

I narrow my eyes. 'What about Sonic being a werehog?' I ask.

Shadow winces. 'That did happen, but it was a while ago now.'

I shudder and sigh. 'When are they going to stop, Shadow?' I moan.

A light brush against my cheek. 'I don't know, but I think it's close. You haven't screamed for a few days now. That would imply the dreams aren't as bad as they were to start with.'

I nod. 'I sure hope you're right.' I flop backwards onto the mattress and stare at the ceiling. The window Shadow installed last weak lets in a small amount of light. 'It's still quite early, though.' I say, turning towards the window with my arm under my head. Shadow tugs against me, and I hear a faint flutter of a heart. When I listen for it again, I almost gasp. Four heartbeats?! Mine, Shadow's, Rouge's. Then who else is here? Can Shadow hear it too?

The hedgehog in question starts trailing his lips along my arm. I shiver and my eyes drift shut, a soft sigh coming from my throat. Shadow chuckles and rolls me onto my back, before carefully lying on top of me, looking down at me with his loving red eyes. 'That's true. And I doubt either of us will be able to sleep again so...' Shadow raises an eyebrow.

I roll my eyes and kiss him. 'You're not very subtle, are you?' I whisper.

Shadow shrugs. 'What's the point?' Good question. I don't know.


	11. Rouge - Report

The sunlight coming through a gap in the curtains directly streams onto my face. I squint when my eyes open, trying to block out the harsh light. I groan when I sit up, the muscles in my back tight and sore. The door to Shadow and Clove's bedroom is still closed, so they're either sleeping or... busy.

I trudge towards the kitchen, preparing to get some breakfast, when I walk in on Clove frying some food in a pan. 'Oh, I thought you were still asleep,' I say.

Clove smiles up at me. 'Shadow's still sleeping, so I left the door shut. You hungry?'

I nod vigorously. 'Starving.' Clove laughs and pours some fried eggs and bacon onto a plate, which she slides across the counter to me. 'Thanks.' I grab a knife and fork and immediately dig into the meal, happy for some nice food for once. GUN food is like my old school food - mushy and bland. My breakfast is gone before even two minutes are up. 'Oh, I needed that. Thanks, Clove.'

Clove smiles again and sets another plate. 'No problem. I'll be right back. I'm gonna go give this to Shadow.'

'I thought he was asleep.'

Clove giggles. 'He is, but the smell of food always wakes him up.' Clove leaves and opens the door to their bedroom, closing it quietly behind her. I hear a quick laugh and some muffled voices.

A minute later, Clove comes back out, Shadow following behind her, eating the food she gave him. 'Any nightmares last night?' I ask.

Clove frowns and nods. 'Yes, although it was a little different last night.'

I sigh. 'It can't be much longer. Thanks again for letting me stay here until this passes.'

Shadow smiles, placing his plate and cutlery in the sink. 'You know more about it than us, so it's no problem.'

Clove nods in agreement. 'Besides, I like you here. It provides a good excuse to catch up.'

I smile. 'That's true.'

Clove slumps onto the sofa, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. 'How about we make a visit to the guys?' She suggests. 'We haven't seen them for weeks.'

Shadow nods. 'Sounds like a plan. You coming, Rouge?'

I shake my head. 'I'm gonna make a trip to GUN HQ to see if Phyto's got any more information on those stones.'

Clove nods. 'You're coming back tonight?'

'Yeah, should be back by mid-afternoon.' I reply, standing up and heading for the door. I wave behind me. 'See you guys later.'

'Bye, Rouge.' They call after me.

…

Phyto lets me in with a smile and returns to his computer. He opens up a complicated document and shows it to me. 'The dreams, as it turns out,' he starts, 'can last anything between a week and eight weeks. How long has your friend been experiencing them?'

'About five or six weeks. I haven't been keeping count, really. Is there anything else I should know?'

Phyto nods slowly. 'There are more than just these two stones. Apparently there are thirteen in total, across the cosmos. As far as we are aware, there are five on Earth and three on Mobius. As for the whereabouts of the other five, we are uninformed.' He pauses, before continuing. 'Some of the dreams these stones cause can be prophetic. Others are about the past or the present, and some are just random. But even the random ones have a specific meaning.'

I think this through. 'What does it mean if they can't be remembered?' I ask.

'It usually means that the dream is extremely important. It's those dreams that affect people most.' Phyto scratches his head. 'Unfortunately no one's much of an expert about that, because the dreams aren't remembered, but they're usually the ones with a more serious effect upon waking.'

I sigh. 'I was rather hoping you wouldn't say that. Clove has been forgetting most of hers.'

'Most?' I nod, watching Phyto's stunned expression. 'That's unusual. There are normally only two or three among the whole lot that people can't remember.'

I shake my head. 'It's been the opposite for her. I think she's remembered four in total since day one.' Phyto frowns but says nothing.

We both become lost in our own thoughts. So, Clove is an anomaly. I guess I realised a long time ago that there was something special about her, and that was proved when she became a hedgehog, but I thought that she was only special because of her powers. Could it be that both the physical and the mental aspects of her are somehow linked to the guys she drew her powers from? Could she have somehow gained a more complex mind than anyone else? Or am I just over thinking things (again)?


	12. Clove - Into the Dreamscape

Amy barrels into me, her arms wrapping around my neck over my back. Laughing, I pull her hands away from me. 'I didn't see you there.' I comment, grinning at her.

'Yeah, well, you just sprinted past me so I'm not surprised. I doubt you tend to watch your back much anymore.' Amy smiles back, clinging to my arm in a friendly way.

'I do out of habit, but I only really listen for obvious sounds like a machine or something. The tiny presence of a pink hedgehog tends to go unnoticed.' I shrug, again peeling her away from me. 'How is everyone?'

'Other than bored out of their minds?' I laugh and nod, gripping Shadow's hand to make sure he doesn't abandon me. 'I guess they're alright. Everyone's starting to get restless now. What about you? How's life on the beach?'

I frown, thinking about my nightmares. 'It's not bad.'

'Just not bad?' Amy looks at me worriedly.

I shrug again. 'I've been having nightmares lately, but it's nothing to do with the place. In fact, I love it down there, but at the moment I can't appreciate it properly because these dreams are keeping my mind preoccupied.'

'Nightmares? For how long?'

I look at Shadow, directing the question to him. 'About five weeks,' he says, his brow furrowing in thought.

'Five weeks!? Clove, that's so long! Is something wrong?' Amy turns around and starts walking backwards. I'm about to warn her about the snapped branch behind her, but she walks directly into it and falls backwards.

I dart forward and catch her, shaking my head with barely controlled laughter. 'There's nothing wrong. It's to do with some jewels, that's all. They'll fade eventually. In fact, they're already becoming less severe.' I reassure her, with a pointed glance at Shadow, who is smirking at Amy.

Amy visibly relaxes. 'Oh, that's good.'

'Clove! Shadow!' Sonic's voice comes behind me, and before I know it, another pair of arms are embracing me.

I start and then laugh, clapping Sonic on the shoulder. Silver, Knuckles and Tails all join us outside. 'Hi, Sonic,' Shadow says grumpily.

I gently punch his arm, warning him to be nice. I know finally having some space from these guys did him good, but he doesn't have to look so disappointed to see them again. 'Shadow's just tired. My fault, really.'

Shadow shakes his head and kisses me quickly on the temple. 'It's not something you can control, so don't stress about it,' he whispers.

I sigh. 'But I am stressed about them.' I reply quietly.

'Okay, I hate to interrupt your couple time, but I'm assuming you came here for a reason,' Knuckles say, putting his hands on his hips.

I laugh and shake my head. 'Not really. We just wanted to see you guys again. After all, it's been several weeks since we last spoke.'

'Ah, she says that but really she wants to get away from Shadow's dark little beach apartment.' Sonic grins.

I say, 'not everything Shadow owns is black, you know,' at the same time as Shadow says, 'hey, not everything to do with me has to be dark.' We exchange a look at both laugh quietly.

Amy grabs my hand and pulls me towards the base. 'Come on! I've been trying to get these guys to go on a picnic and now I have the perfect excuse! Let's go pack!'

The sun rays hit my quills and face strongly as I lie on my elbows on the massive blanket we managed to dig up. The food long gone, all seven of us bask in the light of the midday sun, soaking in its rays. Other than the excited chatter of the birds in the trees around us, not a single sound can be heard.

That is, until Sonic breaks the silence. 'So, Clove, Amy tells me you've been having nightmares lately. Is this true?'

All faces turn expectantly towards me, and I fight the urge to look away. 'Yeah, it's true. Why?'

Sonic shrugs. 'Was just curious, I guess. What are they about?'

I sigh. 'I actually don't remember most of them. The ones I've had so far have all been different. The first two involved what Shadow assumes is Iblis.' At this, Silver's ears flatten against his head, and he narrows his eyes. 'I've also had ones about being killed, you guys being killed. The whole lot.'

Everyone winces. 'What sort of thing were you dreaming about Iblis?' Silver asks.

Shadow and I exchange a glance. 'He was talking to her,' Shadow replies. 'Saying that Mephiles wants to bring him back and cause the destruction of the world.'

Silver's quills bristle. 'How is he going to do that?'

Another pause, longer this time, more heavy. 'He's somehow managed to get Blaze.' I say quietly. Silver looks at me, stunned. 'And also, Mephiles warned me about these dreams. Well, he warned Shadow, but I was still there. He said that it's easy to get lost in the Dreamscape, and although I don't really understand that, I think he was giving us a hint about our future. Somehow.'

Another beat of silence, before Amy perks up. 'Okay, okay. Enough about Clove's depressing dreams already! No need to kill the mood.' Amy pouts, and everyone - even Shadow - laughs.

...

Rouge is already asleep on the sofa by the time Shadow and I - both wet and tired - trudge inside the beach hut. Our sunny picnic was abruptly ended when it started pouring with rain. Shadow and I left not long after, wanting to be home before it got any worse. Still, we're soaked to the bones after out hour and a half of running.

Shadow gives his head a shake, dropping water all over the floor. He turns to me and looks me up and down. 'I'm going to start running a bath,' he informs me quietly. 'Feel free to join me.'

I roll my eyes as Shadow moves into the bathroom, walking towards our bedroom. I pull my soaking clothes off and pull on a fresh, dry set. I pick up a blanket and move out of the bedroom. I drape the deep blue blanket over Rouge's sleeping form, and a small smile appears on her lips as she snuggles into the warmth of the blanket. I tiptoe towards the bathroom and enter, closing the door as quietly behind me as I can.

Shadow looks up at me as soon as he hears me enter, his ungloved hand in the water, testing the temperature no doubt. 'So you decided to take me up on my offer after all.' He smirks. I approach him and sit on his lap, kissing his forehead as I do. 'I must say, I was beginning to think you wouldn't. You spent quite a long time in the bedroom.'

I shrug. 'I was changing out of my clothes. I hate wearing things that stick to my body.' I jump up and walk over to the bathroom cabinet, pulling out a bottle of bubble bath and pouring a little into the bath water. Shadow cringes. 'It'll give us an excuse to stay in there longer,' I say as I put the bottle back down on the side of the bath.

Shadow tilts his head to the side. 'I suppose you're right.'

I smirk. 'Of course I am.'

...

_I am surrounded by a thick forest and a large meadow. I stand on the border between the two. While trying to decide which route to take, I hear a voice behind me. 'Clove?' The familiarity of the voice makes me freeze and tense. I become wary of the fact that this is a dream, so it can't be good._

_I turn slowly on my heels and face him. 'Shadow.' I resist the urge to move towards him, knowing it will probably only cause me harm._

_When Shadow steps forward, I step backwards with him, keeping a constant distance between us. Shadow sighs. 'Clove, this isn't one of your nightmares,' he says. 'You're in the Dreamscape.'_

_'How can I believe you?' I ask, still not allowing him get any closer._

_He shrugs. 'Try thinking of somewhere you really want to be right now.' I do. The scenery around my shifts and morphs into the exact place I'm thinking of. The dark room on Dr Eggman's old base. Shadow frowns at me. 'This is what you wanted to see?' He asks._

_I nod, looking around. 'This is a significant place for me.' I say. 'It's where I realised how much Amy meant to me, where I began to understand the full extent of my abilities.' I turn to face him directly. 'It's where you and I first said we loved each other.'_

_Shadow gets a distant look in his eyes as he remembers, before a soft smile crosses his lips. 'I guess it is pretty important,' he admits, directing his eyes to the exact place we stood all that time ago._

_I follow his gaze there and smile. 'So I'm in the Dreamscape?' He nods, taking a cautious step towards me, and I let him. 'Then that means my nightmares are over.' Another nod, and now he's only a foot away from me. I look into his eyes and find myself relaxing into the depths of his blazing red irises. I laugh and jump on him, wrapping my arms around his neck and crashing my lips against his._

_Shadow's hand on my back keeps me in place, and he smiles against my lips. 'Yes, Clove. We're really, properly alone here,' he murmurs, nuzzling against me. His hands hold my waist and gently pull me against him._

_I shake my head, still smiling. 'This is almost too much,' I murmur, nipping his chin._

_Shadow shrugs, nonchalant. 'I'm not complaining.'_

_I laugh and press the palms of my hands against his shoulders. 'No, I'm not either.'_


	13. Shadow - Trapped

_The shift in light in the Dreamscape indicates the presence of morning. I expect to be forced back into my mind, but instead I remain where I am, with Clove walking beside me with apparently not a care in the world._

_When she sees my frown, however, she grows nervous. 'Shadow?'_

_'Something isn't right here. The change in light means it's becoming morning, so we should be returning to our minds but...'_

_'We're still here.' Clove finishes dully. 'Shadow, you don't think-?'_

_'No.' I say sharply. 'I don't think we're lost. Trapped, maybe, but not lost.'_

_'Then what's going on?' Clove demands, putting her hands on her hips._

_I shake my head to clear it of the thoughts drifting in that are completely unrelated to our current topic of conversation. 'I don't know. I haven't experienced anything like this before. It's all new to me.'_

_Clove sighs. 'Okay, sorry for snapping. I guess I'm just worried.'_

_I take her into my arms and hold her close. 'I am too. But we'll figure this out, I promise.'_

_Clove gives me a weak smile. 'Don't make any promises you can't keep,' she warns half-heartedly._

_An echoing voice sounds above us. 'Clove, Shadow, get up!' It's Rouge._

_'Rouge! Can you hear us?!' Clove shouts to the empty air. No response. Instead, the world starts to shake._

_'Whoa!' I cry, startled._

_Clove and I struggle to remain on our feet, and eventually the feeling passes. 'The communicator!' Clove exclaims. 'Shadow, see if you can get to her through that.'_

_I put Rouge's number into the device and speak. 'Rouge, can you hear me?'_

_A second of silence. 'Shadow?' Rouge sounds unnerved, and I'm not surprised._

_'Yeah, it's me.'_

_'What's going on, how are you doing this? You and Clove are both lying asleep in front of me.' I can almost hear her brow furrowing._

_'We're in the Dreamscape. Stuck in the Dreamscape, it would seem.' I inform her._

_Rouge gasps into the com. 'You what?!'_

_I wince at the sharp squeal of the communicator. 'Never mind that, we're going to see if we can find a way to escape, so you should do the same. Contact me when you have information.' I turn the thing off before she can reply, take Clove's hand and visualise Tails' lab. It materialises in front of us, and immediately Clove goes to the computer closest to us. While waiting for it to boot up, she taps her finger impatiently on the desk. 'You know how to use that?' I ask, a little sceptical if I'm being honest with myself._

_Clove nods, typing on the keyboard and not looking up at me. 'I'm good with computers. Any other sort of technology is more likely to explode than for me to be able to use it, but computers I can work.' Her eyes dart across the screen as she opens up lots of new tabs on screen. She types in the word 'Dreamscape' in a general search bar and a whole profile of the place appears. While I absentmindedly look around, Clove starts skimming through the information. 'Here we go!' She says, grinning at the computer. 'It says here that the only way to be freed from the Dreamscape is for the Energy of all seven Chaos Emeralds to be concentrated on the body of whoever is trapped there.' She looks up at me, her silver eyes sparking. 'Which means we need Sonic. He's the only other person we know who can control the Chaos Emeralds.'_

_I nod and contact Rouge again. 'Hey, Rouge?'_

_'Yeah, what's up?'_

_'You need to find Sonic and the seven Chaos Emeralds. He can then concentrate their Energy on us to bring us back. Clove and I have one each tucked into our quills, but we don't know the whereabouts of the other five.' I report monotonously._

_'Got it. How did you find this out?' Rouge asks, a faint scuffle audible in the background._

_'Tails' laboratory. We can visualise anything and make it appear here, remember?' I raise an eyebrow, despite the fact I know she can't see me._

_'Right, of course. Okay guys, hang in there while we sort this out. I don't know how long we'll be, but it could potentially be several weeks.' Rouge says, a door squeaking in the background. She's in GUN HQ! How'd she get there so fast?_

_'Rouge...' I start, closing my eyes and mentally praying. 'How long has it been since we last contacted you?'_

_A short pause. 'Six and a half hours.' Rouge says. 'Why?_

_Clove gasps. She indicates for me to let her speak into the communicator on my wrist. 'Because from our point of view it's only been a few minutes,' she says._

_Rouge grows suspiciously silent on the other end. 'I guess you won't have to wait as long as I thought,' is all she says, before she turns off her communicator._

_I turn to Clove. 'It could still be a while.'_

_She nods and takes my hand, changing the scene to a calm, warm, mercifully empty beach. 'We might as well make the most of it, then.' She says, perching on the white sand._


	14. Rouge - Search for the Chaos Emeralds

I get a GUN gunship to drop me off at the base in which Sonic is residing. As I drift to the ground, I catch sight of Knuckles sat on the steps. On an ordinary day I would mock him, but this is an urgent mission, so mockery can wait. I hear Knuckles groan when he sees me, and fails to hide his shock when I get straight to business.

'Where's Sonic?' I ask.

Knuckles eyes me suspiciously. 'Why do you want to know?'

'Just tell me where he is!' I snap, glaring at him.

Caught off guard by my voice tone, Knuckles points inside. 'He's with Tails, I think.'

I nod and hurry inside. A familiar silver hedgehog is sat on one of the sofas, quietly reading a book. He looks surprised when he sees me, but when he detects my mood, goes back to his book. I rush up the stairs and burst into Tails' lab without knocking. Tails and Sonic's conversation stops as soon as they see me, both turning to me with questioning gazes. I face Sonic. 'I need your help. Well, technically Clove and Shadow need your help.'

Sonic immediately becomes alert. 'Are they alright?' He demands.

I shrug. 'Depends on your point of view. Listen, they ended up stuck in the Dreamscape, and the only way they can return to their bodies is with the power of all seven Chaos Emeralds and someone who can control them. That's where you come in.' My entire stream of speech comes out in one long breath, and I have to gasp in my replacement air.

'Whoa, back up a moment.' Sonic frowns. 'They're trapped in the Dreamscape?' I nod. Sonic grows worried. 'Then we'd better hurry. Tails, explain everything to Amy for me, will you?' He shouts behind him as he leaves the room.

After a cursory glance at Tails, I follow behind him. 'Sonic, wait!' I cry, making the blue hero stop in his tracks. 'We should at least talk to Shadow and Clove before we go.' I switch on my communicator and talk. 'Shadow, can you hear me?'

'It's Clove actually, but yeah.' Clove replies, the hint of a smile in her voice.

'Here's Sonic.'

I pass my communicator to him and he talks into the device, his voice urgent. 'Clove?'

'Hey, Sonic, what's up?'

'Listen, I've got your message and I'm going to help, but I could use a hand. Do you know anything about the locations for the Chaos Emeralds?' Sonic asks.

Clove sighs. 'Sorry, just the two Shadow and I have at home. Although... Wait, that's it! Hang on a sec...' There's a moment of silence. 'Okay, it would appear they're scattered across the planet, but there are two in or near Soleanna. Apparently there's one sealed away in the old laboratory and there's one in the forest. There's also one that's moving through the areas around Westopolis. There appears to be one in the jungle and another on an island about two hundred miles east of the far north coast of the country. So they're not actually that far apart from each other. Be careful with the moving one, though. Chances are someone is carrying it, so you'll have to think carefully about that one.'

Sonic nods along as Clove says this. 'Okay, thanks for that, Clove. We'll be as quick as we can.' Sonic says, passing me back the communicator.

'Dont worry. Time here doesn't move as fast as it does in your world. We've actually only been here for about half an hour so far.' Clove says. 'Good luck, guys!'

A quick burst of static, and then silence on both sides. Sonic looks up at me, his famous grin spreading across his lips. 'Let's go!'

I laugh. 'I'm right behind you.'

...

Sonic tucks the glowing purple Chaos Emerald into his quills and grins at me. 'One down, four to go.' He says, before shooting off in a blur of blue. I shake my head at his enthusiasm, but follow behind him. As we make our way towards the Soleanna forest, Sonic senses something. His head whips around and he jumps just as a ball of flames hits where he was previously standing. 'Blaze, what are you doing?!' He exclaims.

I look carefully at the pale cat and see the glazed look in her eyes. 'There's something unnatural going on here. She's not herself.' I say glumly. 'Get out of here, I'll hold her off.' Sonic nods and sprints off. Blaze tries to follow, but I stop her. 'Don't you dare,' I warm harshly.

Suddenly her eyes become sharp and clear, and Blaze wrenches her arm out of my grip. 'Stay out of this, bat,' she hisses, in a very cat-like manner.

'No. You're involving my friends therefore you've involved me. What do you want with Sonic?' I demand, gripping her arm again.

'Mephiles has ordered I get rid of him, so that's what I'm doing.' She shoves her nose proudly in the air.

'What happened to the time when you worked together?' I ask, finally letting go of her and folding my arms over my chest.

'Times have changed, and I have changed with them. I follow Mephiles now.' Blaze suddenly turns around and runs in the opposite direction as Sonic did a minute ago.

I'm just about to turn around when he appears by my side. He holds a dark blue Chaos Emerald in the air. 'Got it.' He says.

I nod. 'Come on, lets get out of here before Blaze decides she'd like to take you on again.'

Sonic shrugs. 'It could be fun...'

'Uh huh, just keep moving.' I order, in a mock-serious way. Sonic solutes and runs off. After a brief scan of the area, I follow.


	15. Clove - Heartbeat

Shadow approaches me with a pleasant smile on his face. 'That was a smart idea,' he says as he sits beside me, soaking wet from his swim in the sea. 'I don't think I would have come up with that.'

I look up at him, perplexed. 'What are you talking about?' I ask.

'Using the Dreamscape to find the locations of the Chaos Emeralds. Good thinking.' Shadow compliments me, placing a soft kiss on my cheek and drying himself with a towel.

I shrug. 'I didn't even know of it would work. It was just a stab in the dark, really.'

'Well, it did work. And though I want to get back to our world, I admit it's quite nice here.' Shadow says. I smile. 'It does have its good points,' I agree.

A sudden wailing starts above us, and we jump to our feet, our heads whipping around. 'Shadow, Clove, we've got them.' Rouge's voice can be heard over the sound of the wailing.

I press the button and reply. 'Okay, Rouge, hurry! Something's happening here and we don't know what.'

'We're on our way back to the beach hut now.' Rouge says.

I turn off the communicator and clamp my hands over my ears, trying to block out the noise. My body starts to feel energised and glows a mix of blue, green, red, white, cyan, yellow and purple. I suddenly find myself awake, my eyes snapping open. Sonic and Rouge stand before me, Sonic with a circle of colourful Chaos Emeralds around him. I look worriedly at Shadow's lifeless form, and after a quick burst of light from the Emeralds, he joins us, his eyes opening slowly and groggily.

Shadow gives a short groan as he sits up. 'Ugh, you can tell my body hasn't moved for a while.' He complains.

I laugh. 'Mine's fine,' I say, smirking. Shadow chuckles and rolls his eyes. I begin to stand up, when I hear a heart flutter. I frown, listening closely. There it is again! That extra heartbeat.

Shadow, picking up on my frown, starts to listen too. 'There's someone else here,' he whispers.

Sonic grows tense. 'Who?'

Shadow shakes his head. 'I don't know, but I can hear another heartbeat. It's small and quiet though, so they're either weak or not that close.'

I start to grow pale. Oh Chaos, please no. Rouge sees me and touches my arm, making me jump. 'Are you alright?' She asks softly.

I shake my head. 'I don't think so,' I reply hoarsely.

Shadow perks up and frowns at me. 'Clove? You look like you've seen a ghost,' he comments.

I shake my head again, before bolting out of the room. I shoot through the town and over to the water, where I charge across it. I jump onto the top of a hill on a small island and sink to my knees. I press my hands to the soil and hang my head, trying to get ahold of myself.

I hear footsteps behind me. 'Clove, would you please explain what's going on?' Shadow demands, although his voice still sounds slightly concerned.

I start to tremble, and a single tear escapes my eye. 'I think I know about the heart. Listen.' We both do, and a third heart is just about audible.

'Clove... What do you know?' Shadow sounds wary, as of hesitant to ask.

I stand up and pull him into a hug. 'I don't know. I have my suspicions but I've nothing to prove them.'

Shadow gives an exasperated sigh, squeezing me back. 'Clove, just tell me.'

I clamp my eyes shut. 'I think I'm pregnant,' I whisper.

Silence.

Shadow's arms loosen around me, and I pull back to find his eyes staring at nothing in particular. His heart is beating quickly and irregularly, and he seems to have lost the ability to move. I sigh and lie him carefully down on the ground. I then lie next to him and place his head on me, stroking his quills. Shadow takes in a shaky breath and closes his eyes, still not saying a word.

...

It's several hours later and a while into the night when I wake up, finding Shadow still lying on my chest. His hand is on the lower half of my stomach, his thumb gently stroking my fur. I run my fingers through his quills, silently letting him know that I'm awake. Shadow gives a low purr and looks up at me. His eyes spark with unshed tears and a burn through my chest makes me look almost apologetically down at him.

'Are you alright?' I whisper.

Shadow gives a weak smile. 'I couldn't be happier,' he says.

I start. 'Really?'

Shadow laughs, nods, and sits up. 'Of course. I'm sorry I blanked out on you earlier; I guess it was too sudden. If I'm being honest, I was wondering if you were pregnant before you told me. You were acting a little different.'

I blink a couple of times. 'I was?'

Shadow nods again, pulling me to my feet. He embraces me closely and kisses the top of my head. 'We should go back. It became night about two hours ago, and I expect Sonic and Rouge are worried.'

I nod my agreement and take his hand, pulling him into a run beside me. As we run across the surface of the sea, a small wave is created behind us, glistening in the moonlight. I push myself as fast as I can go, up to super speed, quickly leaving Shadow behind. I appear at the beach town and stop outside Shadow's hut door after less than a second. I wait for Shadow to join me and grin at him when he does. Shadow just rolls his eyes and quietly opens the door.

Rouge and Sonic, who apparently were waiting up for us, jump up from the sofas and turn towards us as we file into the room. 'What is going on?!' Sonic demands.

Shadow and I exchange a quick glance, before Shadow nods, letting me know I can reveal the news. I take a deep breath. 'I think... I'm pregnant. That extra heart we can hear moves with me, so...'

Sonic's eyes grow wide, and Rouge gasps, her hand shooting to her mouth. 'I...' Sonic splutters, while Rouge remains deadly silent.

Shadow steps closer to me and whispers in my ear. 'I think that matched the desired effect.'

I snort and smile. 'Oh, definitely.'

Rouge gives her head a quick shake. 'I guess congratulations are in order?' She says. Shadow and I nod.

Sonic finally finds his voice again. 'Okay, I think I understand what took you so long to get back.'

I grin mischievously. 'I may have sent Shadow into shock. He wasn't responding to anything for a few hours at least. Then, I fell asleep.'

'Where did you go?' Sonic asks.

'There's an island just off the coast. You can see it clearly in daylight. We were there.' I reply.

Sonic nods and stretches. 'If you don't mind me crashing here, I'd like to get some sleep.'

Shadow and I shake our heads in unison. 'As long as you don't mind sharing the room with Rouge,' I say gleefully. I walk into our bedroom and, after letting Shadow in, shut the door, blocking them out.


	16. Shadow - The Chase

The next morning, Clove and I walk into the living room together, only to find it empty. There are two notes on the table, from Sonic and Rouge. _Hey, guys. I woke up early this morning so I'm heading home. Thanks for letting me stay. S_. I glance at Clove before reading the second. _I got a message from Phyto saying he'd made a revelation about the stones, so I've headed back to GUN HQ. Probably won't be back, so thanks for the hospitality and sorry I couldn't say goodbye in person. Rouge._ I look up at Clove and watch her form a frown on her face. 'Something up?' I ask.

'Mephiles,' is all she says.

I don't need anymore to understand what she's implying. 'I know. We need to find him.'

Clove nods and looks towards the sofa. 'Oh!' She walks forwards and I follow her with my eyes. 'Sonic left the Chaos Emeralds here.' I join her and stare down at the small table. In a perfectly neat circle the seven Chaos Emeralds are lying upside down on the table. I pick up three and tuck them into my quills while Clove takes the other four.

'These'll be helpful if I need to transform into my Superself for any reason.' I say, wondering if Clove has a Super form too. Super Clove. I smile at the thought. Clove suddenly clutches her head and her eyes flicker, before becoming slitted. 'Welcome back,' I say, bitterness thick in my voice.

Clove laughs. Or rather, Mephiles does, through her. 'Civil as always,' she says monotonously. 'I've heard that you've been playing host to Sonic the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat.'

'We were, but they both left this morning,' I say.

Clove - Mephiles - snorts derisively. 'How convenient.' I turn and grab the two notes on the counter, forcing them into Clove's hands. She looks down and reads them both. 'I guess you were telling the truth, unless you forged these before I appeared.'

I shake my head. 'There was no time.' I say.

'Of course,' "Mephiles" mutters absently. 'Anyway, I have decided to pay a visit because... well, I thought you'd want something to do. Therefore I have decided to let you in on a little secret. My plan.' I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Just to challenge whether he is actually going to tell the me truth, I let him speak. 'I have gone to Soleanna to find the Chaos Emeralds there. Catch me if you can.'

Clove suddenly starts coughing and doubles over. 'Ugh,' she moans, 'that's not a nice experience.'

I gently rub her back. 'You okay?' I ask. Clove nods and straightens, giving me a weak smile. I take her hand and lead her outside. 'Did you hear any of that?' I ask, stopping on the porch and letting her breathe in the fresh sea air.

Clove seems much stronger after a few seconds. 'All of it.' She turns to me. 'And he was telling the truth, sort of. Though he doesn't plan to get the Chaos Emeralds, he has gone to Soleanna.'

'Where?' I ask.

Clove smiles grimly. 'The desert. He wants to reenact what happened there before, when you almost killed him. Except the last bit, of course.' My quills bristle, and Clove, noticing this, puts a comforting hand on my shoulder, her thumb rubbing against my fur. 'It's alright. We can beat him this time.'

I shake my head. 'The only way to defeat him is to seal him away. Unfortunately the only way to do that was destroyed at the time.'

'Actually, it wasn't the only way,' Rouge says from down the street. I turn my head towards her voice and frown. She holds up a small stone. Clove instinctually backs away from the stone. 'Don't worry, Phyto managed to neutralise the dream effects the gem has.'

'Why have you got it, then?' Clove asks, her voice still a little shaky.

Rouge smiles. 'It's a very powerful soul gem. You could use it to trap Mephiles' soul.'

I tilt my head to the side. 'How does that help us destroy him?' I ask. 'Granted, it's useful, but it won't eliminate him completely.'

Rouge smiles even wider. 'That's the beauty of it. It can be destroyed in anything as hot as or hotter than lava. The soul inside it cannot escape, and is therefore destroyed with it.' She chucks me the stone and I catch it automatically.

I nod, tucking it away with the Chaos Emeralds in my quills. 'Thanks, Rouge.' I say. Rouge nods and contacts GUN while I turn to Clove. I offer her my hand, which, after a moment, she takes. 'You ready?' I ask.

She nods determinedly. 'Yes.'

...

The desert unfolds before us, the old ruins buried in the sand. Clove whistles. 'I can't deny this is a good place for a showdown.' She says, fiddling with some gold bands.

I stare at her. 'Are those power rings?' I gasp.

She smiles and nods. 'You wanted to be able to become your Super form if needed, right?'

I shake my head and kiss her cheek. 'You're too clever for your own good,' I say.

Clove laughs. 'I've heard that before, actually. From Sonic, when I found the white Chaos Emerald.'

I chuckle. 'I can believe that. Now come on, let's get this over with.' Clove and I race across the sand into the ruins, where Mephiles is waiting.

He hears us approach, and turns around, somehow not managing to hide his surprise. 'I wasn't expecting you here so soon.' He admits. 'Perhaps you're better at this than I thought.'

Clove smirks. 'While you were talking through me I had a good search of your mind. It was easy to work out your plan.'

Mephiles nods, his mouthless face twitching. 'Then let's not delay this any more. It's a pity; I think you would have both made excellent allies.'

I roll my eyes. 'Yeah, we've been through this before.'

Mephiles cackles and summons his irritating little minions. Clove and I begin to attack them, while Mephiles looks on.


	17. Clove - Mephiles' Final Showdown

As Shadow and I fight dozens of tiny shadow creatures, Mephiles sneaks up on Shadow. I don't realise until it's too late. 'Shadow!' I yell, and Shadow turns just in time to be knocked backwards by Mephiles' foot. Shadow lands in a heap on the floor and tries to get up, but Mephiles is there again, attacking him relentlessly. I charge towards them both, dodging the irritating shadow things and stopping between them, glaring at Mephiles while standing protectively in front of Shadow.

Mephiles looks nonchalantly back at me. 'I expected nothing less from you, Clove the Hedgehog. I have been watching you for many weeks now. I was even there when you finally stopped that Dr Eggman.'

My quills bristle angrily. 'Why?' I hiss, remaining in front of Shadow.

Mephiles shrugs. 'I was curious about you. I saw the two hedgehogs take you off the street and wondered why. Something about you being more powerful...?'

I nod. 'Yes. I have a combination of powers from them and two others. It was necessary at the time.'

Mephiles laughs. 'It will be necessary now, child.' He starts to rise and the air around him begins to ripple.

Grinning, I grab the three Chaos Emeralds in Shadow's quills and pull out my own. They begin to circle my body. 'Let's see if this works, shall we?' I ask. enhanced Psychokenisis to fire flaming objects at him. Mephiles cries out and attempts to escape, but I use a Homing Attack on him, which sends him to the ground. His body trembles and heaves while I stand over him. 'What did you do to Blaze?' I ask, only just remaining calm.

Mephiles gives a weak laugh. 'That cat? She was quite easy to being to my side with a little... persuasion.'

I growl. 'What did you do?'

'I got someone to enchant her.'

A groan behind me makes me turn, and Shadow throws something to me. I catch it on instinct and find it's the soul gem. I smile at him and turn to Mephiles again. 'Goodbye, Mephiles the Dark,' I say, holding the stone up. It begins to glow very brightly pink, and Mephiles starts to melt.

A dark purple trail starts to be absorbed by the stone, and the stone starts to glimmer even more. As the Chaos Emeralds' and Power Rings' energy starts to fade from me, I become my normal self again. The stone drops to the ground and I quickly tuck it into my quills, before rushing over to Shadow. I help him to his feet and smile at him, lightly pressing my lips to his forehead.

Shadow's hands grip my elbows. 'That was incredible,' he says hoarsely.

I shake my head. 'No it wasn't.'

'It really was, Clove,' Shadow urges. His red eyes look directly into my own, silver ones, and I find myself smiling.

'There was a lot at stake,' I whisper. 'Come on, let's get this thing destroyed.'

...

The heat of the volcano is blistering, and makes sweat cling to my fur. Shadow and I run into the mouth of the volcano and stop on a ledge. A huge river of lava flows beneath us and, without even a moment of hesitation, I drop the pink gem into it. A bright pink mini-explosion erupts from the lava as the soul gem is destroyed, and the purple ribbon around it catches fire, disintegrating into nothing.

Shadow takes my hand and pulls me out of the volcano. We run as far from the place as we can and dive into a clear lake at the same time. I revel in the coolness of the water, and stay underwater for as long as my lungs let me. When I resurface, I find Shadow already swimming towards me.

His arms lift me and up suddenly he's taking both our weight. I smile down at him and gently nuzzle his nose with mine. 'Clove...' He starts, uncertainty in his voice.

'Mmm?' I question, combing my fingers through his quills.

'I...' Shadow chokes and closes his eyes. 'I want you to marry me.' He says, so quickly I almost miss it.

I frown down at him. 'Are you being serious?' I ask. Shadow nods, and the blazing of his eyes supports this. I smile and kiss him. 'Then I will,' I whisper. 'Of course I will.'

Shadow breathes a tense sigh of relief and squeezes me closer to him. I laugh and hug him tightly back. 'I... Thank you, Clove.' Shadow whispers, sounding choked with emotion.

I laugh again and kiss his nose. 'That isn't necessary,' I say. 'But you're welcome.' Shadow chuckles and drops me into the water, before taking my hand and swimming towards the shore with me linked with him.

...

We walk hand-in-hand through the little beach town that has become our home, ignoring the looks we're getting from the neighbours. Shadow gives a little bow before opening the door for me. I snort, trying to hide how much I want to laugh.

As soon as I enter the living room, I stop dead in my tracks. 'What the hell are you guys all doing here?' I ask, not turning around when Shadow walks in behind me.

Before us are Sonic, Amy, Silver, Knuckles and Tails. 'Sonic gave us some news, and we decided to pay a visit.' Amy says, placing her hands expectantly on her hips.

Shadow and I both chuckle. 'You know, I almost forgot about that,' I admit.

'So did I.' Shadow replies.

Amy gapes. 'How could you forget about that?!'

I shrug. 'We were busy.'

'Doing what?' Sonic asks.

'Killing Mephiles,' Shadow says smugly.

They all stare. 'How?'

'We caught his soul in a gem and destroyed it. He's gone forever.' I reply jubilantly.

They all look at us in a hugely impressed manner, except the little pink hedgehog. 'That can't be it,' Amy huffs. 'Clove, you're pregnant, that's not something a mission can make you forget.'

I shrug. 'Well, it did,' I say, then under my breath, 'at first.' I glance at Shadow who grins.

Silver picks up on this, and comments with his arms crossed. 'That's not all that happened, is it?'

Shadow shakes his head. 'Not entirely.' He says slowly. I look down, trying to hide my giddy smile, but I don't think I'm particularly successful.

Amy sucks in a sharp breath of air. 'You didn't!' She exclaims. She claps excitedly and hugs me. 'He proposed, didn't he?' She whispers. I smile and nod over her shoulder. 'Ooh, I'm so happy for you!' She claps again.

'Okay, okay,' I say, laughing. 'Enough frolicking for one day, Ames.' Amy pouts but steps back.

The guys look from me to her in confusion. 'I guess we should end their torture.' I say, grinning.

Shadow smirks. 'I dunno, I'm quite enjoying this.' I smack his arm playfully and take his hand, resting my head on his shoulder.

Silver's eyes suddenly spark. 'I think I know what's going on here,' he says mysteriously.

I smile. 'It probably isn't hard to guess if you really think about it.'

Shadow sighs. 'Oh, I'm bored of this already,' he says.

I snort. 'So much for enjoying it.'

'I was, but it got old pretty fast.' Shadow faces the guys seriously. 'I proposed to her. We're getting married.' He says, a sense of achievement audible in his voice.

The guys all gape at us except Silver and Amy, the former of whom just nods his head in satisfaction. 'Are you being serious?' Sonic asks, a deep frown forming on his brow.

We nod. Sonic frowns even deeper, before pushing past us outside. Amy goes to follow him, but I stop her. 'Let me,' I say. Amy hesitates, before nodding.

I walk outside and find Sonic standing on the beach, looking out to sea. He hears me approach and gives me a weak smile. 'Hey, Clove,' he murmurs, turning his head back to the water.

'Did we make you question some deep-rooted assumptions?' I ask, standing by his side.

Sonic glances questioningly at me. 'What do you mean?' He inquires.

I smile. 'I mean did Shadow's actions make you question your own actions? Did it make you wonder if you were going about things with Amy the wrong way?'

Sonic looks incredulously at me. 'You really picked all that up?' He asks, raising his eyebrows.

I nod. 'I may not look it, but I can be quite perceptive when it comes to it.' I reply.

Sonic smirks and nods. 'Something like that, anyway.' He sighs. 'I wonder if Amy is dissatisfied with our relationship. You and Shadow are moving so fast, it makes me wonder whether Amy's gonna start expecting things from me.'

I shake my head, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder. 'Don't base your own relationship on ours. Everyone moves at different paces. Just because you're one of the fastest things on the planet, it doesn't mean everything you do has to be equally fast.'

Sonic grins. 'I like what you did there.'

I laugh and shake my head. 'Seriously though, it'll happen when it happens, and when it does, it'll be when you're both ready for it.'

Sonic's lips quirk at the sides in an amused manner. 'Look at you, giving me relationship advice.'

I chuckle. 'Feel free to ignore it. I'd never actually been in a relationship before Shadow came along, so I don't really know what I'm talking about.'

This seems to surprise him. 'Really?' When I nod he pulls a thoughtful face. 'I guess I wasn't expecting that. You had no one into you?'

I blush. 'Actually, I did. There was just no one I was interested in.'

Sonic smiles. 'Holding out for the perfect guy?' He mocks.

'Something like that,' I murmur. Then I giggle. 'Instead I got stuck with Shadow.'

Sonic chuckles. 'Yeah, he can be a grumpy old git sometimes.'

I nod. 'Yeah, but I was a visionary before. No one can be perfect and Shadow is everything I want in a guy. I'm happy where I am.'

Sonic smiles. 'I know you are. If you weren't, you wouldn't have accepted his marriage proposal.'

'True. Come on, we should get back inside before they send out a search party for us.' I say, starting to walk towards the hut.

Sonic, despite the fact he is walking alongside me, grumbles. 'I could see myself living here. I don't really want to go inside.'

I giggle. 'Maybe you should lure Amy out here and take her on a romantic moonlit walk along the beach,' I suggest, a little jokingly.

Sonic, however, takes my suggestion seriously. 'You know what, I think I will. Thanks, Clove.'

I laugh. 'Anytime.'


	18. Shadow - Eternal Ties

**5 months later...**

I cringe as Sonic forces a black suit on me. 'Is this really necessary?' I ask, frowning down at the annoying sleeves.

'It's a wedding, so apparently. Seriously though, Shadow, don't ask me about stuff like this. This isn't my sort of territory. Ask Amy.' Sonic shrugs as he fiddles with the cuffs on his own suit. 'If it makes you feel any better, I'm no more comfortable with this than you.'

I grin. 'Actually, it does.'

Sonic rolls his eyes just as Amy comes charging in. 'Ames, you do know you could have just walked in us getting changed, right?'

Amy just shrugs. 'I didn't, so everything's fine.' She turns to me. 'Shadow, you're up.'

I take a deep breath and Sonic claps me on the shoulder. 'This is it, buddy.' He says.

I groan. 'Yeah, never call me that again.' I grumble.

Sonic sighs dramatically. 'I thought Clove had wormed this part of you out,' he moans quietly. I just smirk and walk outside our large tent. I raise my eyes as I see the white bows and ribbons decorating the trees and bushes surrounding this clearing.

I turn to Amy. 'You did a good job,' I compliment her.

She beams. 'Thanks! Now let's go!' Amy grabs my wrist and starts dragging me along an imaginary aisle. A flowery gazebo has been created for the sole purposes of this wedding. An expensive red rug has been laid over the steps leading into the place and trails for a few feet on either side. Despite the fact that only seven months ago the sight would make me faintly nauseous, I have to admit I like it. It speaks very clearly of Clove's influence, and that makes it more pleasing to look at. Placing me at the end of the rug, Amy fusses over me, rewarding her with an exasperated roll of my eyes.

'Relax a little, Amy.' I sigh. 'It's not like this could cause the end of the world.'

Amy glares at me. 'This is your wedding, Shadow! You should take more interest in it.'

I speak honestly. 'Frankly I don't mind what the ceremony's like, as long as it's official.'

Amy loosens up a little. 'That's a really sweet thing to say,' she whispers, before her eyes skip around me and suddenly fill with tears. She holds me firmly in place. 'Don't you dare turn around.'

I roll my eyes again. 'Okay, I won't.' As Amy scampers off, I murmur to myself under my breath. 'She's still a massive pain sometimes.'

Sonic suddenly appears by my side. 'This is it, Shadow. When I nod to you, you can turn around.'

I nod my understanding and close my eyes, listening. There are several heart thumping quite quickly, but none as fast as the one I focus on. It sounds like it's moving closer to me, so I identify it as Clove's. I open my eyes and look at Sonic, who's attention is behind me, his eyes wide. His green eyes shift to me, and he gives a tiny nod. I breathe in a deep breath and turn, and my eyes meet hers. Everything stops. Suddenly it's just her. A silky white band holds her quills behind her head, replacing her previously pink one. Her red t-shirt and black trousers have been replaced by a long, stylish white gown. There are lilies embroidered into her quills, and a faint blush is spreading over her cheeks. When she blinks, suddenly I'm thrown back into reality. I smile at her and offer my hand when she's close enough, which she takes. Her usual gloves have been replaced by elegantly long ones that end above her elbow.

As we walk towards our minister (who is actually Silver in some weird robes) I murmur in her ear. 'You look absolutely stunning.'

Clove blushes and smiles her thanks. I turn to face her and gently hold her hands in my own. _This is it._

...

Clove giggles as I swoop her off her feet and carry her to the little area dedicated for us to sit. There are two throne-like chairs placed next to each other, and I lower her to the ground so she can sit down. Clove's cheeks are still really pink, but she doesn't seem ashamed of the fact. Sonic and Amy approach us first, as soon as I have sat down.

'Congratulations, guys!' Amy cries, hugging us both.

'Thanks, Amy. You too,' Clove replies happily. We all give her a confused look, prompting her to roll her eyes. 'You didn't think I wouldn't notice, did you?' She demands, facing the two of them. When they don't reply, she sighs exasperatedly. 'Well something good obviously happened. Amy's been ecstatic all morning.'

'Well, this is a wedding...' Amy starts, blushing.

Clove adamantly shakes her head. 'No, this is more extreme than that. So go on then, spill the beans, as they say.'

I turn to face Sonic and Amy, who are both staring at her in shock. Sonic laughs. 'This brings to mind that night on the beach when you said you could be perceptive if it came to it. I now officially believe you.'

Clove pulls a face of mock-insult. 'You didn't before?!' She demands, before laughing.

Amy closes her eyes, suddenly nervous for some reason. 'Sonic and I are... going to have a child together.' She says, in one shaky breath.

I find myself raising my eyebrows in surprise. 'How long have you known?' I ask.

Sonic shrugs. 'Not long. About a week or so.'

'And I bet you meant to tell us here, just to bring up the atmosphere even more,' Clove says. They nod. 'Well, you still can. We'll pretend we don't know.'

Amy laughs lightly. 'Whatever floats your boat, bestie.' She winks at Clove and grasps Sonic's hand.

Clove smiles as she grabs her neat bouquet of flowers and throws it directly at Amy. Caught off guard, Any blinks once before catching the bouquet reflexively. 'There, you're who is going to get married next,' Clove exclaims, grinning smugly at them both.

I chuckle and take her head. 'You don't have to go over the top, Clove.'

Clove pouts. 'That's not over the top! That is merely enthusiasm.'

I shrug. 'Okay then, perhaps that's a little too much enthusiasm. Either way, you need to calm down.' Sonic and Amy, presumably not wanting to intrude, silently walk away.

She sighs. 'I know. I'm just so happy right now.' Clove takes my hand and kisses the back of it, getting a relaxed smile from me.

'I know,' I say, glad Sonic and Amy are no longer here to hear the deep purr in my voice.


	19. Clove - Epilogue

I shudder as the ground shakes beneath my feet. The whole planet is being flooded by lava, and Shadow and I are trapped. The hedgehog in question firmly grasps my hand and looks worriedly at me. I step forward and embrace him, squeezing extra tightly due to my fear. The ledge we are standing on starts to crack and crumble, but we don't move.

Shadow lifts my chin with his hand and forcefully presses his lips against mine, wiping away the tears gathering in my eyes. 'Don't cry,' he murmurs softly. 'Remember everything we've done together. Remember every single happy moment of your life.'

'Five million years has created a lot of things to remember,' I murmur, but I close my eyes and do so, watching as the images flash past my eyes. I begin to relax and snuggle into Shadow's dark fur. 'I love you, Shadow.' I whisper.

Shadow purrs. 'I know. I love you too.'

I nod against his chest. 'I know. And I don't regret anything I did with you. Everything we've done together cannot be replaced. It was all infinitely special.'

Shadow gently strokes my quills, making me cling to him tighter. 'It really was. And Clove, I'm glad we can finally go like this, in each other's arms.'

A loud sob escapes my lips and I jump up, throwing my weight against him and kissing him with all the feeling I can muster. The love, the companionship, everything I've ever felt towards him. Shadow kisses me hotly back, and a single tear escapes his eye. 'Don't ever let go of me,' I whisper. 'I want to die with you in my arms.'

Shadow hugs me tightly. 'I wouldn't have it any other way,' he whispers. We hold each other closely, revelling in each other's presence and warmth. The platform beneath our feet creaks heavily and collapses, falling into the lava flow beneath us with our tangled bodies falling with it into the stream. One last moment together. One last chance to remember how much we love each other. One last chance to live before we die.


End file.
